This was written about a particular person who shall remain unnamed, but could equally apply to any of those moments when I know I’m falling in love. I never did date the woman I wrote this about as she was involved with a friend, but I was madly infatuated with her for a period of time. I hope she is doing well.

She

I see her everyday.

In front of me while buying groceries.

I talk to her.

Her laugh is in front of me as well.

The sparkle of her eyes–Oh how it warms me.

Her smile I cannot resist, nor the shape of her as she ties her shoes.

Listing other people’s quotations seems a lazy way to post on my blog. Part of me feels guilty about being so unoriginal. But the quotes I share below make me think and often lead me to continue my quest for education and for knowledge. They inspire me. They challenge preconceptions. Some are sad reflections. Some are vibrantly defiant. Some are ironically humorous. And many of them have led to the start of essays I hope to finish and share one day. There are dozens of quotes and thoughts about liberty and freedom that I admire. Below are but a few. Feel free to share some of your own favorite quotes on any topic in a comment.

“Force always attracts men of low morality.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master.” ~ George Washington

“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” ~ Aldous Huxley

“Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.” ~Mark Twain

“There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail.” ~ Eric Hoffer

“Can any of you seriously say the Bill of Rights could get through Congress today? It wouldn’t even get out of committee.” ~ F. Lee Bailey

“But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them and gives it to the other persons to whom it doesn’t belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish that law without delay … No legal plunder; this is the principle of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony and logic.” ~ Frederic Bastiat

“Then what is freedom? It is the will to be responsible to ourselves.” ~ Friedrich Neitzsche

“He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” ~ George Orwell

“[The average man] is not actually happy when free; he is uncomfortable, a bit alarmed, and intolerably lonely. Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty — and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies.” ~ H.L. Mencken

“When A annoys or injures B on the pretense of saving or improving X, A is a scoundrel.” ~ H.L. Mencken

“The main thing that every political campaign in the United States demonstrates is that the politicians of all parties, despite their superficial enmities, are really members of one great brotherhood. Their principal, and indeed their sole, object is to collar public office, with all the privileges and profits that go therewith. They achieve this collaring by buying votes with other people’s money.” ~ H.L. Mencken

“Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right.” ~ H.L. Mencken

“If you see a man approaching you with the obvious intent of doing you good, you should run for your life.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” ~ Herbert Spencer

Want to be happier (or at least keep the negative, grouchy, irritable side of yourself in check)?

It’s a natural tendency to gripe and complain. And many of us (I know I’m guilty) often get bent out of shape about the most inconsequential things. Like someone cutting in front of you on the drive to work (which may have cost 2 whole extra seconds drive time!) or a waitress not pouring more coffee at the exact moment we wanted a refill or the phone at work keeps ringing. Maybe your boyfriend or girlfriend didn’t call when they said they would or you dropped mustard on your favorite shirt. How annoying right!?

But these are all really just minor inconveniences. We all can have a tendency to dwell on them and let them ruin the day. But each is almost always just a matter of not having things our way at the very moment we want, my expectations (or wants) aren’t being met and I focus on the negative part of any situation. Those two things, unrealized expectations and dwelling on negatives, can ruin your day, your week, and before you know it you are a perpetual grouch! It becomes a habit and a bad one.

So here’s my one simple tip to get you out of that funk. (And if you are like me the first time I tried to do this, you’ll find it harder than you would guess – but it gets easier the more you do it).

Make a list of things you are grateful for!

It’s that simple. It is hard, if not impossible, to remain in a foul mood when you are full of gratitude. If you believe in a higher power or God, thank them for these things you are grateful for. I know many people (those used to dwelling on the negative side of things) will say they don’t have anything to be grateful for. Sure you do. You can start small. Think of anything that makes you smile, gives you pleasure or makes you happy and just say, “I’m grateful” for __________.

For instance:

I’m grateful for the worker at the market who offered me a sample of “Queen City Cayenne” ice cream. I tried it last weekend and it was delicious and unexpected. A complex mixture of chocolate, cinnamon, and pepper that I really enjoyed. I never thought pepper in ice cream would be, or could be, good.

I’m grateful that it didn’t rain when I went to the baseball game with my dad Tuesday night since I left the umbrella in the car. (and the home team won 18-3!)

I’m grateful that even though someone dinged my car the other day, at least I have a car to drive at all. Many don’t.

I’m grateful for lemonade and ice tea mixed together. It’s so refreshing in the summer.

I’m grateful for how happy my dog is when I come home. It always puts me in a good mood – although I could pass on his overly strong penchant for licking my face.

I’m grateful when a song I love, like Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”, comes on the radio.

I’m grateful for music.

I’m grateful for my job (even if the phone rings too much) Many people are struggling to make ends meet at all and don’t have a job.

I’m grateful for the popcorn at the movies.

I’m grateful for bluebonnet flowers. Seeing even a picture of a field of bluebonnets makes me happy. (see above)

I’m grateful for the movie “Casablanca” – the dialogue is so clever, I never get tired of it. And Ingrid Bergman is still one of the most beautiful women I ever saw – extra grateful and worth another picture 😉

Anyway, you get the idea.

Let your mind wander. Yeah, it’s corny and may make you feel a bit awkward at first. Most of us aren’t used to practicing gratitude. But, if you think about it, there are hundreds of things to be grateful for each week. And just reminding yourself of that fact can take you out of a negative frame of mind.